In recent years, transportation methods have changed substantially. This change is due in part to a concern over the limited availability of natural resources, a proliferation in personal technology, and a societal shift to adopt more environmentally friendly transportation solutions. These considerations have encouraged the development of a number of new flexible-fuel vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, and electric vehicles.
Further, the development of infotainment systems in vehicles has progressed rapidly. The infotainment systems generally include at least some audio component that provides sound output for the vehicle. However, the audio systems in vehicles have changed little. In most audio systems, an amplifier sends an analog signal to analog speakers that are placed in a few typical places (e.g., the doors, the dash, etc.). The speakers tend to be larger as only a few powerful speakers are used in the audio systems. Some systems attempt to provide more realistic audio by adding large numbers of large speakers with bigger amplifiers, but this approach takes space away from passenger comfort. Traditional speakers are large, require more power, and are difficult to package in the vehicle with the associated cables going to each speaker, where each wire is designed to handle the power for that the speaker. Further, the speaker wires radiate outward from the amplifier in a star configuration from the amplifier to each speaker. A significant amount of wire is used to connect the central amplifier to the speakers. This wiring configuration and configuration of these audio systems add weight to the vehicle and provide little to no customization.